


That One Sports Anime Crossover

by SharkGirl



Category: Free!, Haikyuu!!, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball, 弱虫ペダル | Yowamushi Pedal
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Alternate Universe - What If Jobs, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-30
Packaged: 2018-04-12 11:11:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4477124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>All the (recent) sports anime bishies interacting with each other.<br/>Featuring:<br/>Firemen Kagami and Makoto<br/>Policemen Aomine, Rin and Sousuke<br/>Pilots Kise and Oikawa<br/>and many more!</p><p>I used the Future Fish or 'If they weren't playing basketball' jobs for most of the characters.  If they didn't have a 'What I want to be when I grow up' in their character profile, I made it up.<br/>I'm trying to stick to the 'main' characters so I don't confuse anyone new to the fandom, but I'm open to suggestions if you have anyone you want to see interact~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tobukoiki Fire House - Makoto and Kagami

**Author's Note:**

> I meant for these to be short chapters...but I can't do anything halfway, now can I?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami and Kuroko move out to Iwatobi to live a small town life. Makoto gives their newest fireman a tour of the city.
> 
> Characters:  
> Free!: Makoto, Haru  
> KnB: Kagami, Kuroko

Nearly nine hours by car.  Or, if driving isn’t your thing, it’s an hour and fifteen minute flight.  That’s how far away Kagami was from Tokyo.

Since moving back to Japan in his first year of high school, Kagami had gradually gotten used to the subtle nuances that made up Japanese culture.  Alright, it helped that Kuroko was always beside him, telling him when it was okay to eat the dango during the tea ceremony and not to make fun of traditional flower arranging no matter how ‘dumb’ he thought it was.

So, when his Shadow said that he wanted to move away from Tokyo after college to try living a small town life, Kagami had, of course, followed him.

Kuroko had gotten a job as a preschool teacher in the sleepy little seaside town of Iwatobi in Iwami, way out in the Tottori prefecture.  It was radically different from the city life to which Kagami had grown accustomed, both in Tokyo and Los Angeles. But it wasn’t without its charm.

Back in Tokyo, Kagami had worked as a firefighter in the 2nd Fire District in Oomori.  When he told his chief that he was moving out to Iwatobi, the older man had laughed and wished him the best of luck in adjusting to the much, much, much (he said it three times) slower pace of the Tobukoiki Iwami Fire Department.  Still, the chief gave him a good recommendation.

“Good luck on your first day of work, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said in his usual soft voice as he cleared his breakfast plate from the table and rinsed it in the sink.  “Will you be home for dinner?”

“Probably,” Kagami reached under his nightshirt and scratched his stomach.  He gave a big yawn.  He was used to working the night shift.  “It’s just my orientation today.”

“Alright then,” Kuroko finished washing the dish and set it in the drying rack.  “I like when you don’t have to work twelve hour shifts.”

“Well, don’t get used to it,” the redhead said with a mouthful of toast.  He swallowed.  “I’m not sure how their schedule goes out here,” he reached for his orange juice.  “I might end up working twenty-four hour shifts.”

“I see, well, do your best,” the shorter man dried his hands and reached for his school bag, but Kagami was already behind him, encircling his waist with strong arms.

“Do you miss me when I’m gone?” Kagami nuzzled against the side of Kuroko’s neck.

“Yes,” he answered bluntly.  He was always straightforward, after all.

“It won’t be as bad as in Tokyo,” the taller man promised.  “The station is just down the road from your school,” he pulled back and rubbed Kuroko’s shoulders in circular motions with his thumbs.  “Not even one stop away on the train.”

“That is better, I suppose,” Kuroko looked over his shoulder and kissed him.  “I’ll see you tonight,” he breathed and, before Kagami had a chance to capture him for another kiss, the Shadow was out of the apartment.

“Don’t just do that whenever it’s convenient,” Kagami mumbled to himself and then sat down to finish his breakfast.

*~*

The Tobukoiki Fire House was much smaller than the large station in Tokyo.  It consisted of two stories.  The first held the garage that housed what Kagami considered to be the country’s smallest fire engine, as well as the kitchen and a dining area.  There was a bedroom on the second floor with four bunk beds and an attached bathroom with a double sink.  It was small.  Some might call it ‘cozy.’  The only word coming to Kagami’s mind was ‘cramped.’

“Kagami Taiga?” a mustachioed man with dark hair approached him.  “Good Lord, you’re tall,” the older man stared up at him for a moment.  “Might give Tachibana a run for his money,” he muttered before looking down at his clipboard.  “You’re from Tokyo, huh?”

“Yes,” Kagami answered and then belatedly added, “Sir.”

“What brings you all the way out here?” the man asked.

“My partner got a job at the local preschool,” the redhead answered.

“Yeah, my wife tried dragging me along with her to Hokkaido for her job,” he shook his head.  “I told her there was no way I was moving,” he paused.  “Well, ex-wife now.”  Kagami’s eyes widened just a fraction.  “I’d say you made the right choice, Kagami-kun.”

“Uh…yeah…” He blinked.

“Anyway, today’s an easy day,” the man went on.  “Just going to get you acclimated and give you a tour of the area we cover.”  He looked over his shoulder.  “Oi, Tachibana, the new guy’s here,” he called.  Kagami did not like being referred to as ‘the new guy.’  He’d spent three of his four years of college working part-time at the local firehouse.

“Coming, Chief,” a sandy-haired man with green eyes came out of the station.

“Tachibana, this is Kagami Taiga from Tokyo,” the chief introduced him.  “Show him around the station and then give him the grand tour,” he turned back toward Kagami and winked.  “Show this city boy how we do it out in the country.”

“Yes, sir,” Tachibana smiled in a manner that Kagami assumed was humoring the chief.

“Alright, I’ll see you both around,” the chief waved and walked back into the station.

“Welcome to Iwatobi, Kagami-kun,” the sandy-haired man bowed.  “I’m Tachibana Makoto.”

“I look forward to working with you, Tachibana,” Kagami held his hand out and Makoto, after blinking in surprise, took it and gave it a shake.  Seven years living in Japan and he still forgot the honorifics.  “Let’s get this tour started.”

*~*

The two men spent the majority of the morning walking around Iwatobi and greeting the locals.  It was around the third time Makoto received a gift from a shopkeeper that Kagami spoke up.

“You’re pretty popular, huh?” the redhead asked.

“Oh, no, not really,” Makoto scratched the back of his head.

“You seem to be getting a lot of presents,” Kagami pointed out.

“Yes, well, you see,” the sandy-haired man chuckled.  “They were just thanking me,” he explained.  “I rescued Mori-san’s cat from a tree last week and-” he rattled off a few more menial tasks.  Kagami finally realized just what his previous chief had meant.  If the locals were that grateful over opening a jar of pickled daikon, this must be a slow area indeed.

Kagami didn’t realize Makoto had asked him a question until he saw olive green eyes looking up at him expectantly.

“I’m sorry, what?” Kagami asked, a little embarrassed.

“I asked if you were hungry, Kagami-kun,” Makoto repeated and he was answered by the redhead’s stomach growling.  “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” he chuckled.  “If you brought your lunch, I know a great spot.”

Kagami was a city boy at heart.  That was one of the reasons Iwatobi felt too cramped for his liking, despite the fact that the buildings were further apart and it had an overall ‘roomier’ feel to it.  Maybe it was the lack of tall buildings that made him feel too exposed.

But when Makoto took him to his ‘secret lunch spot’ on the beach, he forgot everything he didn’t like about the small town.

Being at the beach, despite the weather being just a bit too cool for a dip, reminded him of L.A.  It reminded him of hanging out with Tatsuya and Alex at the street ball court before heading out for some choice waves at Topanga Point.

“So, how are you liking Iwatobi so far, Kagami-kun?” Makoto asked.

“It’s a bit…” Kagami tried to think of the word.

“Low-key?” the sandy-haired man offered.  The redhead held his hands up, ready to apologize.  “That’s one of its charms,” Makoto let his eyes slip closed as he grinned.  “Life here may seem humdrum, but there are some things that really make living here worthwhile.”

“Like the ocean,” Kagami looked out at the expanse of blue-green waves.  “No matter how uncomfortable or stressed I’d get, the ocean waves would always calm me down.”

“Did you visit the beach a lot?” Makoto asked.  “That’s quite a train ride from Tokyo.”

“Ah, before I moved back to Japan, I lived in California,” he explained.  Makoto blinked in surprise, but smiled as if everything somehow clicked in his head.  “It all makes sense now, huh?” he chuckled.

“I didn’t say anything, Kagami-kun,” the sandy-haired man gave a laugh.  “California, huh?”

“Yeah,” Kagami looked out at the ocean, “I used to surf a lot when I lived in L.A.”

“I’ve never been surfing,” Makoto admitted.

“Aw man, it’s the best,” the redhead threw his arms out.  “You feel like you’re weightless,” he sighed, “like you’re on top of the world.”  He opened his eyes and looked over at Makoto.  “Sorry, lost myself in a memory there.”

“It’s no problem,” the other man said, but he was frowning slightly.  “I’m just not big on being in the ocean.”

“But you live so close to the beach!” Kagami was shocked.  “Don’t tell me you can’t swim.”  Makoto laughed.

“Oh, no, I can swim just fine,” he wiped his eyes.  “I was actually a competitive swimmer in high school and I coached a bit in college.”

“Just not a fan of salt, then?” he asked.

“Something like that,” Makoto cleared his throat and started to pick up the pieces of his empty bento.”  Kagami decided not to pry.  “Anyway, if you’re done eating, I know a great place for dessert.”  Makoto hadn’t steered him wrong yet.

“Lead the way.”

They made their way to a small restaurant in town.  There was enough room inside for a counter, a pastry case and a cooler for bottled drinks.  Makoto walked straight to the counter and rang a bell.  After a few seconds, a man with black hair and blue eyes came out of the back dressed in a chef’s coat and hat.

“Good afternoon, Haru-chan,” Makoto seemed to glow as he greeted the shorter man.

“Drop the ‘-chan’ already, Makoto,” the other man pouted.  He looked kind of familiar.  Maybe it was something about the slight pout of his lips or those bright blue, yet stoic eyes.  Almost as if the man could read his thoughts, those sapphire eyes focused on Kagami.  “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Kagami Taiga,” Makoto introduced him.  “He’s the new guy at the station.”

There it was again.  ‘New guy.’

“I see,” the chef, ‘Haru-chan,’ looked him up and down.  “Please don’t cause Makoto any trouble.”

“Haru!” the sandy-haired man scolded him.  “I’m sorry, Kagami-kun,” he apologized.  “This is my childhood friend, Nanase Haruka,” he gestured toward him.  Haru crossed his arms over his chest coolly.

“Isn’t Haruka a girls’ name?” Kagami asked.  He was pretty sure he hadn’t met any men with that name since moving here, but he had met a couple girls.  At his question, the shorter man’s eyes widened and he went storming back into the kitchen.  “Was it something I said?”

“Haru’s just a little sensitive about that,” Makoto laughed awkwardly.  “Anyway, it looks like we’re not getting dessert today,” he frowned and apologized again.

“Hey, no problem,” Kagami said.  “It was my fault anyway.”  They had barely made it ten steps out of the restaurant before the chef came running to catch up to them.  He didn’t say anything, but thrust a white paper bag into Makoto’s arms.  The sandy-haired man opened it and peered inside before brightening.

“Thank you, Haru!” he grinned. The shorter man just nodded, side-eyed Kagami and then went jogging back to the restaurant.  Makoto reached into the bag.  “I hope you like custard buns,” he held one out to Kagami.

*~*

“How was your first day?”  Kuroko asked.  The shorter man had beaten him home, which wasn’t surprising.  After the enjoyable, though lengthy tour, Makoto took Kagami back to the station to watch their safety video.  It was quite possibly the longest, campiest instructional film he’d ever seen.  Though, he did get to see their current chief when he was a young newbie, which was entertaining to the rest of the firemen, who ran over to watch just as he’d gotten to that part.

“It was pretty uneventful,” he answered.  “How was school, Kuroko-sensei?” he teased, walking up behind him and kissing the top of his head.

“Pretty uneventful, as well,” he turned to look up at him.  “I hope stir-fry is fine for dinner.”

“More than fine,” Kagami gave Kuroko’s shoulders and gentle squeeze and started to set the table.  “I haven’t eaten since lunch.”

“Yes, that’s normally how it works, Kagami-kun,” he said it a flat tone, but Kagami had learned to distinguish when he was joking.

“They partnered me up with a guy who gave me a tour of the town,” the redhead added as he put the plates down.  “He said he used to play basketball,” he went on.  “It was way back in middle school, but maybe he’d want to join us for a pick-up game or something sometime.”

“Oh?” Kuroko asked, not turning away from the wok.

“Mhm,” he set the napkins and chopsticks down next to the plates.  “He was pretty thorough, even took me to the ocean.”

“Kagami-kun loves the ocean,” the shorter man said softly.  “Does it make staying here a bit more bearable for you?” he still didn’t turn around.  Kagami walked over and wrapped his arms around Kuroko, planting a kiss on his shoulder and moving his way up his neck until he reached his ear.

“Now I have two reasons to stay here,” he breathed and smiled when he noticed the pale man’s ears tint red.


	2. Iwami Police Station - SouRin and Aomine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aomine gets relocated against his will. Rin gets a new temporary partner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, this chapter got monstrous fast! I had to cut it off before it turned into a novel.  
> There will definitely be more cop stuff coming up in later chapters, I promise!
> 
> Characters:  
> Free!: Rin, Sousuke, Captain Mikoshiba  
> KnB: Aomine, Kise (mentioned), Imayoshi, Sakurai

He’d given his blood, sweat and tears to the Azabu Police Station.  Four years of his life, dedicated to the force.  Alright, so maybe sometimes he came in a little late.  Or he’d cut out early if he had a date with Kise.  And there were several times he skipped out on trainings and dragged the new guys with him, but that was only when there was a new Horikita Mai book due to come out and he had to be the first to the newsstand in order to get it.

So, all-in-all, most of the time, or, at the very least, relatively often, he was a shining example of what it meant to be a police officer in the city of Tokyo.

“Relocation?” Aomine repeated, dumbfounded.  “You’re relocating me?”

“Think of it as an exciting new adventure,” his boss, Imayoshi, smiled back at him from across the desk.  “Besides, the ocean air will do you some good.”

“But I live here,” the navy-haired man was still having trouble understanding.  “Where exactly are you sending me?”  The older man took a deep breath and plastered on the fakest smile Aomine had ever seen.

“Try to listen carefully this time, Aomine,” the fluorescent lights in the police station reflected of off his glasses.  “The Iwami Police Station out in Tottori is in need of a replacement officer for the next month.”

“And you thought that would be a good job for me?” Aomine blinked slowly.

“Well, given your track record, small town life might be a bit better for you,” Imayoshi rested his chin on his interlaced fingers.  “Less places for you to hide.”

“So…” the tanned man scratched the back of his head.  “How long am I going to be out there again?”

“They requested a temporary replacement for a month,” the older man answered.  “But, if you do a good job, maybe I’ll let them keep you.”  Aomine felt the floor drop out from beneath him.  A month in the sleepy, seaside town of Iwatobi was one thing…but to stay there forever?  “Anyway, your flight is tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow, but I-”

“I’ve instructed Sakurai to come pick you up at your apartment two hours before your boarding time,” the chief went on.  “And, in case you’re getting any ideas,” Imayoshi nearly purred, “he’s escorting you home tonight as well.”  Aomine slumped in his seat.  This was not the news he was expecting when his boss had called him into his office.  He turned and looked at the shorter brunet standing in the doorway.  Sakurai sent him an apologetic glance.  Imayoshi stood up from his desk and walked over to Aomine, clapping him on the shoulder.  “Have fun, Daiki.”

*~*

True to Imayoshi’s word, Sakurai escorted Aomine home.

“I’m sorry, Aomine, I’m really sorry,” the brunet frowned.

“Did you know that was why he called me back there?” Aomine asked.

“I didn’t, I thought it was about the promotion,” Sakurai bowed his head.  “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”  Aomine rolled his eyes and ruffled the shorter man’s hair.

“It’s not your fault,” he sighed as they reached his apartment door.  “I promise I won’t run away, so go home,” he said and put his key in the lock.  “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”  Sakurai nodded and bowed low, apologizing a few more times before he took his leave.

Aomine walked into a dark and empty apartment.  It wasn’t unusual.  His boyfriend would often work for a few days in a row before coming home.  Kise typically flew international flights, so it took up a good amount of time just getting there and coming back.  The note the blond had left him was still on the kitchen counter.

_‘Aominecchi~’_

He still called him that, especially when he was delivering bad news.

_‘It’s looks like I’ve got a busy week coming up.  But I’ll be home first thing in the morning on Thursday, okay?  After that, Senpai asked me if I could help him with some domestic flights, so I’ll be home more often.  Please don’t order out too much while I’m gone.  See you in a few days!  -Ryouta’_

Aomine sighed as he re-read the note for the fourth day in a row.  Tomorrow was Thursday.  Even if he was amazingly lucky, he might get to see Kise for a few minutes before he was hauled off to the middle of nowhere.  Then again, there was something familiar about the name of the place he was going.  He couldn’t place it, but he was sure he’d heard Kise talk about the location. 

“Ah, well,” Aomine shook his head.  He walked over to the fridge and looked inside.  All of the fresh fruits and veggies stared back at him, still in their original packaging.  He took one more look before swinging the door closed.  What would one more night of ordering pizza hurt?

*~*

Aomine awoke to a knock on his door.  He opened one dark blue eye lazily and then closed it, thinking it was just his imagination.  Then came another knock.  He looked over at his alarm clock.  It was barely four in the morning.  He pulled the comforter over his head and turned to face the wall.  Then he heard his front door unlock.

Kise had said he’d be home first thing in the morning, but even this was too early.  Aomine turned back over and pulled open his nightstand drawer.  He grabbed his handgun and crept silently out of bed.  He heard someone’s voice, but it was muffled by the blood rushing in his ears.  He hid behind his door and waited.

“Aomine, it’s time to go to the air-” Sakurai froze when he came face-to-barrel with Aomine’s 38 caliber revolver, “port,” he finished weakly.

“Ah, shit, Sakurai, you scared Hell outta me,” Aomine lowered his gun and ran a hand through his short navy hair.  “Any reason you have a key to my apartment?”

“Chief thought it would be a good idea,” the brunet answered.  “In case you tried to run off.”

“Just how unreliable does he think I am?” the tanned man drew his brows down.

“I’m sorry, Aomine,” the other man bowed.  “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the taller man shook his head and slapped Sakurai lightly on the cheek.  “Alright,” he walked back over to the bed and set his gun on the nightstand.  “Let me take a quick shower.”

*~*

The airport was a ghost town this early in the morning.  Sakurai dropped him off and handed him his ticket, going as far as to offer to escort Aomine to security.  The tanned man waved him off.

“Tell Imayoshi I’m on my way,” Aomine said before walking into the airport.  He was hoping that somehow, someway, he’d manage to run into Kise on the way to his flight, but the Narita airport was huge and he had no idea where his boyfriend was flying out of.  With a sigh, he checked his small bag and walked over to his gate, not looking forward to his new job.

*~*

The flight was only about an hour or so.  He’d barely drifted off before the flight attendant was gently shaking his shoulder, asking him to put his seatback up.  Aomine rubbed his eyes and looked out the window.  The sun was just starting to come up behind him, making the ocean look dark and ominous in the distance.

When he turned his cell back on, he had one missed call and three text messages.  All from Kise.

_‘Landing now!’_

_‘Well, not landing now…I can’t text and fly, haha.’_

_‘I’ll see you at home in an hour.’_

Aomine sighed.  He didn’t think to text Kise to give him a head’s up.  But he had left a note on the counter.  He looked at the timestamp from the most recent text.  It was over an hour ago.  Kise had probably already gotten home and seen the note.  It was important for the blond to get enough rest between flights.  Aomine would call him later.

The plane was so small, that the passengers simply walked out of the airlock door and down a small staircase.  The checked bags were waiting on the tarmac next to the stairs.  Aomine quickly found his bag and walked into the airport.  It was so small in comparison to Narita.

The early morning was starting to get to him, so he walked over to the first counter-service restaurant inside and ordered a cup of coffee.  He looked at his phone again.  Still no new message from Kise.  He should call him soon, but he didn’t want to wake him.

Aomine checked the address Imayoshi had messaged him one last time before he hailed a cab.  He still had a few hours before he needed to go to the station, so he decided to head to his temporary apartment first.

Airplanes always made him feel gross.  It probably had something to do with sharing an airtight capsule with random people from anywhere and everywhere.  Aomine had no idea how Kise could do that for a living.  Then again, maybe the cockpit was less stifling. 

“I need another shower,” he grumbled as he tore his shirt off and threw it to the side.  The apartment the station had chosen for him was a relatively good size.  It was nowhere near the size of the apartment he and Kise shared, but since he’d be living here alone, it wasn’t a problem.  It came completely furnished and the bed looked large enough to handle his tall frame.  The en suite bathroom attached to the bedroom was a fairly good size, too, but it had a combination shower and tub.  Kise had insisted on getting an apartment with a garden tub for soaking, so this would be an adjustment.

Aomine wasn’t sure how long he’d been in the shower, letting the hot water pour on his head and over his shoulders in an attempt to wash away the tension from his back.  But he was pulled from his trance-like state when the buzzer rang.  He got out of the shower and grabbed the towel from the top of his duffel.  He quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist.

“Just a sec,” he called as he searched for something to wear, but the person at the door seemed impatient.  They rang the buzzer again and, when Aomine didn’t immediately answer the door, they started to knock.  Aomine tossed whatever shirt he was holding back into his bag and marched over to the door.  “I said gimme a-”

Two policemen stood in front of his door.

“Aomine Daiki?” the shorter of the two asked.  Aomine nodded.  “Wow, you’re tall,” the redheaded cop looked up at him with crimson eyes before flashing impossibly sharp teeth.  “I’m Matsuoka Rin,” he took off his peaked cap to reveal the rest of his magenta-colored hair, pulled back into a messy ponytail.  “This here is Yamazaki Sousuke,” he jutted a thumb over his shoulder.  The other cop, who was just a few centimeters shorter than Aomine, grunted and nodded his head.

“Uh, nice to meet you,” Aomine offered.  “Is there a reason you’re at my apartment?”

“Chief said you were supposed to come to the station at noon,” Rin crossed his arms over his chest.  “It’s twelve fifteen, so…”

  1.   So, they were punctual out here in Iwatobi, huh?  That was going to be annoying.



“You’ll have to forgive me,” Aomine stepped to the side, letting the men into the apartment.  “I lost track of time.”  It wasn’t a lie.

“Nice place you got here,” Rin ran a hand over the back of the worn microfiber couch before walking around and taking a seat.  The taller cop, Sousuke, remained standing with his arms crossed over his chest, cerulean eyes inspecting the room.

“I appreciate the compliment, but this isn’t exactly my style,” Aomine walked back into the bedroom and started to get dressed, not bothering to shut his door.  When he emerged, the two cops hadn’t moved.  “So, I’m guessing you’re here to escort me?”

“Well, Chief Mikoshiba thought it would be a good idea for us to show you around,” the redhead stood up and smoothed down the front of his blue polyester uniform.  “Ya see, Sousuke here is the one you’ll be replacing for the next month.”  Aomine nodded and turned toward the tall, dark-haired man.

“So, what, got some extra vacation days you need to use up or something?” he asked.

“Shoulder surgery out in Tokyo.”  So, it did speak.

“S’that right?” Aomine raised his eyebrows.  “What happened?”  Sousuke and Rin exchanged glances before looking back at him.

“I got shot in the line of duty,” Sousuke answered.  Now, that was surprising.

“Wow, so maybe Iwatobi isn’t such a boring place, after all,” he said, rather callously.

“Sou, I can’t believe you,” Rin pushed the taller man’s chest and nearly knocked him over.  “Is that what you’re going to tell the cute nurses at Jikei, too?”  Aomine raised an eyebrow, obviously not getting it.  “Don’t let this guy fool you,” the redhead side-eyed his partner.  “It’s just an old swimming injury.”

“I have one chance to make a cool impression on the new guy and you had to ruin it,” Sousuke nearly pouted, which didn’t suit his large frame.  Aomine thought he was cooler when he didn’t speak.  “Anyway, yeah, I tore my rotator cuff pretty bad in a race back in high school,” the brunet admitted.  “I’ve been going through physical therapy and they weren’t seeing the results they wanted.”

“Did you win, at least?” Aomine asked.  The two men turned toward him with wide eyes before looking back at each other and bursting into laughter.

“And you were worried you wouldn’t get along with him,” Sousuke elbowed Rin in the ribs and the redhead returned the favor by kneeing him in the calf.  “Let’s head back to the station for your tour,” he turned toward Aomine.  “Gotta make it quick,” he went on, “I’ve got a flight to catch.”

*~*

The Iwami Police Station was unsurprisingly small.  It had one story which held the chief’s office, a small breakroom with a refrigerator and a coffee machine, a unisex bathroom and about eight or ten desks.  There was a separate building out back, surrounded by a chain-link fence complete with barbed wire. 

“We have four holding cells back there,” Rin explained.  “But they’re usually used to sober-up salary men and teach teens a lesson about staying out past their curfew.”

Yeah, Iwatobi was really starting to sound like blast…  Aomine rolled his eyes.

The chief seemed to have a better personality than Imayoshi, at least.  He was the tallest there, still shorter than Aomine by a bit, and he was full of energy.

“Great to have you with us, Aomine,” Chief Mikoshiba clapped a hand on his shoulder.  “I’m sure it’ll be quite an adjustment,” he began, “Small town life, I mean.”

“Well, Azabu was pretty exciting,” he offered a weak smile.  “But I’m sure I’ll learn to love it here,” he forced out.

“That’s a good lad,” Mikoshiba shook his shoulder and flashed a toothy grin.  “Sad to see this guy go, though,” he slung an arm around Sousuke’s neck and mussed his hair.  “You’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill.”

“What size?” Aomine countered.

“Ha!” the chief barked out a laugh.  “Matsuoka told me you were funny.”

Yes, he wasn’t like Imayoshi at all.

“Anyway,” he turned toward Rin.  “Go ahead and run him to the airport,” he released the tall brunet.  “Then take the rest of your shift to give Aomine a tour of the city.”

“Yes, Sir,” Rin saluted with a smile.  “C’mon, Sousuke,” he started walking toward the door.  He turned and looked over his shoulder.  “You, too, Aomine.”

*~*

Aomine felt like a dog stuck in the back of their owner’s car.  The police cruiser they’d taken was one of two that the station possessed.  Doing the math, he assumed that most of the policemen there patrolled on foot.  He looked out the window and saw the now-familiar sight of the Iwami Airport.  He saw a small plane taking off and suddenly remembered that he’d never texted Kise.

_‘Hey, sorry for not getting back to you right away.  I was in a rush.  Looks like I’m stuck in the boonies for the next month.’_

He hit send and, when he looked up, they were already parked at drop-off area for departing flights.  Sousuke and Rin were already saying their goodbyes.  It was hard to hear them from the backseat.  Not that he was eavesdropping.

“A month is a long time,” Rin said just loud enough that Aomine heard it.

“It’s not really a month,” Sousuke replied.  “The surgery is in two days and then I have about a week of physical therapy at the hospital,” he began, “and then I can spend the rest of my time recuperating at home.”

“Still, it’s been a long time since we’ve been apart,” the redhead frowned.  This was where Aomine started to think that maybe, just maybe, these guys were more than just partners in the employment sense.  Sousuke reached a hand up and brushed his thumb tenderly across Rin’s cheek.

“Hey, don’t cry…”

“I’m not crying,” Rin sniffled.

“I’ll only be gone for a couple weeks,” Sousuke promised.  “It’s not like I’m up and leaving you for five years or anything.”  The redhead growled deep in his throat and threw his arms in the air.

“You always have to bring that up, you idiot!” he hissed.

“Love you, too,” the brunet leaned forward and captured the other man’s lips.  Aomine averted his eyes.  They probably forgot he was in the backseat. 

He tried his best to ignore them, silently wondering when they were going to come up for air.  But when Rin let a pleading little moan rise in the back of his throat, Aomine coughed.

“Don’t you have a flight to catch, Yamazaki?”

“Oh, sorry,” Sousuke pulled back and looked at him.  “Forgot you were back there.”

“Just hurry up before you miss your flight,” Rin mumbled, face flushed.

“Okay, baby,” he pushed the redhead’s bangs back and kissed his forehead.  “I’ll see you in a couple weeks,” he added as he grabbed his duffel bag and walked away from the car.  He waved one last time before disappearing through the sliding glass doors.

“Sorry about that,” Rin said, face still tinted pink.  “I guess that kind of grossed you out, huh?”  He opened the back door from the outside, since there were no handles inside, and let Aomine out.

“Nah, my boyfriend’s much more shameless than that,” he admitted, slumping into the passenger seat.  “We once joined the Mile High Club during one of his flights,” Aomine laughed.  Crimson eyes widened comically.  “He’s a pilot, if that didn’t make sense.”

“Ah,” the shorter man nodded.  “That’s pretty ballsy.”

“Yeah, we like to live dangerously,” Aomine smirked. “So,” he turned his head and cracked his neck.  “We gonna start this tour or what?”

“Hang in there, City Boy,” Rin flashed those sharp teeth again.  “I’ll show you there’s more than just temples and beaches in Iwatobi.”

Aomine smiled at that.  Even if it wasn’t as exciting as Azabu, his new partner seemed interesting, to say the least.  He quickly looked down at his phone, which had started flashing.  His smile widened when he saw Kise’s name on the screen.  He opened the text.

_‘I got your note, Aominecchi~  And guess what!  I’m coming to visit you in a couple of days!!  See you then~’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get to write about the tour. The next chapter stars Kise and a few other familiar faces. I'll come back to Rin and Aomine later, of course. And I haven't forgotten about our firemen, either.


	3. Flight 801 NRT to IWJ - Bros!KiseOikawaKisumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise and Oikawa are goofy Pilots.
> 
> Characters:  
> Free!: Kisumi  
> KnB: Kise, Kasamatsu  
> Haikyuu!!: Oikawa, Iwaizumi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is it that, whenever I write a Kise chapter, I end up deleting over half of it and starting over? Haha.
> 
> Sorry for the wait, everyone! I hope you enjoy this~  
> I've added another sports anime! (Slowly tagging on more characters...)

It had all started when Kise’s manager booked him a modeling job with a famous wristwatch company.  The watch was advertised to be so precise that it was the only one pilots should wear to ensure there were no delays.  So, after spending several hours in the cockpit of a Cessna 172M at the Yokoto Air Base in Fukaya and then even getting to take the plane out for a test flight, he decided to go for his commercial pilot license.

Of course, that was four years ago and, spontaneous as it was, he ended up loving his new career.

Now Kise was jetting all over the world.  He usually flew internationally and it would keep him away from home for days a time.  It put a strain on his and Aomine’s relationship, but his boyfriend’s job as a police officer kept him pretty busy as well.

The blond had just finished a four day long stretch and he was more than ready to go home and see his boyfriend’s tanned, though often frowning, face.  He walked into the apartment they shared and noticed that the lights were off.  He was sure that Aomine had the day off today.  He set his jacket and duffel bag down and walked into their bedroom.  The bed was, as it usually remained when Aomine was the only one home, unmade.  But there was no one in it.

“Daiki?” he called, but no one responded.  Kise walked over to the counter and saw a note taped on top of the one he had written before he left.

_‘Hey babe.  Imayoshi is an ass.  I’m being sent to babysit some cop out in Iwatobi, of all places.  It looks like I’ll be gone for a month tops, though.  I’ll call you when I know more.  –Daiki’_

Kise squinted as he re-read the note to make sure it wasn’t just the jetlag.

“A month?” he sighed and then pouted.  “And I have all those domestic flights coming up,” he mumbled and walked over to the refrigerator.  He was exhausted and he knew that he shouldn’t eat right before going to bed, but he was depressed and hungry.  Not a good combination.

He opened the fridge and noted that all of the groceries he’d purchased before he left were still there.  He turned toward their recycle bin and saw all manner of take-out boxes.  Kise rolled his eyes.  He was in the middle of taking a bite of celery when he realized something.

“Did that say ‘Iwatobi’?” he ran back over to the note to confirm.  Then he pulled out his phone and scrolled to his most recent text from Kasamatsu.  The older man, though Kise still referred to him as ‘Senpai,’ was actually the blond’s junior at work.  He’d only recently become a pilot after he realized he couldn’t live off of the tips he made playing guitar at Nishinoya’s bar downtown – a friend that the older man had met in college.

“I knew it!” Kise smiled as he read the text.  The flights that Kasamatsu had asked for Kise’s help on were all domestic and the last flight was to Iwami Airport.  The blond smiled from ear to ear.  He could fly out and spend his days off with his boyfriend before he had to be back at Narita for his next flight.  He couldn’t wait to tell Aomine!

Of course, right about now, the jetlag was really getting to him.  Even after flying internationally for years, it was always hard the first night back.  Or day.  Whatever time it was.

He put the celery stalk back in the fridge and walked over to their bedroom.  He tossed his uniform in the laundry basket and pulled on one of Aomine’s shirts from his Police Academy days.  The blond snuggled up against his boyfriend’s pillow and drifted off to sleep.

*~*

Kise awoke later that evening to a text message from Aomine.

_‘Hey, sorry for not getting back to you right away.  I was in a rush.  Looks like I’m stuck in the boonies for the next month.’_

He chuckled and immediately started to type his reply.  It wouldn’t be for a couple of days yet, but he let Aomine know he was coming.  He wasn’t sure how busy the police department was out there, but he was hoping they’d give him a least one of the days off.  He sent the message and then threw the covers back over his head.

*~*

Domestic flights were easy.  No customs, no layovers, no language barriers.  Plus, Kise was able to come home every night.  Not that it mattered when he had no one to come home to for the time being, but it was still a luxury.  But the days passed by too slowly for his liking.

Finally, it was nearly time for the last flight of the last day.  They had to change planes, so he and Kasamatsu made their way through the Narita airport, easily navigating the large and crowded terminal to their gate.

The flight they were waiting on was running a bit behind and, since the plane hadn’t landed yet, they were forced to wait it out.

“I’m going to go make a phone call,” Kasamatsu said, reaching into his pocket for his ancient cell phone.  Kise often wondered if the thing even got reception.  “Don’t go running off,” the older man warned.

“Why, Senpai, I would never,” the blond looked affronted, holding a hand to his chest.  Kasamatsu fixed him with a disbelieving look.  “I’ve been good the past few days, haven’t I?”

“Yeah, I guess,” the older man raised a thick brow in suspicion.  “Oh, and stop calling me ‘Senpai’ all the time.”

“But you’re still my senpai, Senpai,” Kise pouted.  “Anyway, go make your phone call,” he waved the shorter man off.  “I’ll be a good boy and wait right here.”  With one last suspicious glance back, Kasamatsu walked over toward the windows, in an attempt to get better reception on his dinosaur he called a cellular device.

To his credit, Kise did wait exactly where he said he would.  Until the gate attendant made the announcement that the flight wouldn’t be arriving for another thirty minutes.  He looked over and saw that Kasamatsu was still on his phone.  He wouldn’t be gone long.  He just wanted to get something to drink.

Kise walked into the airport bar and took a seat on one of the stools.

“One grapefruit juice,” he ordered and then added, “With a slice of pineapple and two cherries, please.”

“My, my, going at it pretty hard for mid-morning, aren’t we, Captain?” a sarcastic voice came from his right.  He turned to see a man, nearly as tall as he was, walking up to the counter.  The other man sat down, leaving a stool between them.  He was wearing the same uniform as Kise, but the blond didn’t recognize him.  “Don’t tell me you’re drinking before a flight.”

“I assure you, it’s just juice,” Kise wasn’t sure what to make of the other man.  The brunet seemed to be mocking him, but he was smiling like they were friends.

“Seltzer water, please,” he ordered and then turned chocolate brown eyes on Kise.  “Oikawa,” he said and Kise blinked.  “My name,” he laughed, sliding his drink forward and thanking the bartender.  Kise nodded his thanks as well and lifted his glass to sip on his juice.  “And you are…?”

“Kise,” the blond filled in the blank.

“Are you new, Kise-chan?” he asked.  The blond noted the familiar ‘-chan,’ but ignored it.

“No, I’m usually over in the other terminal,” he motioned toward the far side of the airport.  “I’m over here helping out an old friend of mine.”

“So you normally do international flights?” Oikawa asked, stirring the seltzer with his straw and watching the bubbles rise to the top of his glass.   “That’s got to be exciting.”

“It has its moments,” the blond chuckled.

“Still, it must be interesting to see all those foreign places,” the brunet rested his chin in his palm.

“A terminal in Italy is just as crowded and boring as a terminal here,” Kise plucked one of his cherries off of the skewer and popped it into his mouth.  “Besides,” he added after he swallowed, “I got my fill of sightseeing when I modeled back in high school.”

“So, you were a model, huh?” Oikawa raised his brows.  “I was always told that I should have gotten into modeling,” he ran a finger up the side of his glass, gathering up the condensation and letting it drip down the side onto the cocktail napkin.  “I was always pretty popular with the girls,” he added with a laugh.

“Oh yeah?” Kise wasn’t sure if he liked this guy or not.  He seemed nice enough, but there was something about him.

“Yeah, back in high school I was on a pretty famous volleyball team,” he explained.  “Aobajousai,” he said, “Maybe you’ve heard of us?”  Kise shook his head.  He didn’t want to be rude, but even with his short stint as the ace of the volleyball club at Teiko middle, he hadn’t gotten into the sport enough to follow high school teams.  “Anyway,” Oikawa went on, “that was a long time ago.”

“I’m sure you’re still popular with the ladies,” the blond offered.  He wasn’t flirting.  He was happily taken.  But, despite being unsure of how he felt about this charismatic stranger, the brunet seemed easy enough to talk to.

“Yeah, maybe so,” Oikawa chuckled and then took a sip from his straw.  “Did you ever play any sports?”  He asked and quickly followed with, “Being so tall, I figured…”

“Actually, yeah,” Kise responded, going for his last remaining cherry.  “I was a member of my basketball club in middle school and high school,” he explained.  “I was kind of a big deal.”  He winked.  Oikawa snorted and Kise drew his brows down.  “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” the older man laughed.  “That just sounded like something I’d say.”

“Well, maybe you were big in your small town, but I was part of the Generation of Miracles,” Kise said haughtily, picking up his skewer and taking a bite of his pineapple slice.

“Generation of Miracles?” Oikawa raised an eyebrow.  “Sounds like a line of anti-aging creams.”

“Hey now,” the blond looked insulted, “We got nationwide recognition.”

“I’m sure,” the brunet smiled and went back to his drink.

“No, seriously,” Kise frowned slightly.  “We even got back together to beat some trash-talking team from America.”

“Whatever you say, Kise-chan,” Oikawa played with his straw.  Kise opened his mouth to retort, but he was interrupted by a voice behind them.

“Kise Ryouta?” It called.  They both turned around to face the bar’s newest guest.  He was a bit shorter than Oikawa, with violet eyes and cotton-candy pink hair.

“That’s me,” Kise responded.

“Wow, I thought the name was just a coincidence, but you really are _the_ Kise Ryouta,” the man’s eyes were wide.  “To think I’d be meeting one of the members of the Generation of Miracles,” he blinked, mouth agape.

‘Told you,’ Kise mouthed to Oikawa, who scoffed and went back to his drink.

“Back in my third year of middle school, my team played yours, of course, that was before you were a starter,” the other man laughed nervously.  “But, I got to play the others.”

“So, how may I help you?” the blond asked with a practiced smile.  “Would you like an autograph?”

“Yes!” the pink-haired man began and then shook his head.  “Well, later, but first, I came to tell you that your flight has arrived.”  Kise’s golden eyes widened.  He looked at his watch.  He’d been talking to Oikawa for the better part of an hour.  “I’m one of the flight attendants, Shigino Kisumi,” he bowed.  “I look forward to working with you, Kise-san.”

“Uh, yeah,” the blond’s eyes were shifting from side to side, frantically searching.  “Um, you didn’t see a shorter guy, dressed like me, with spikey hair and a permanent scowl, did you?” he swallowed nervously.  At Kise’s description, Oikawa turned toward him, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh, you mean your co-pilot?” Kisumi asked.  “Yes, he was also looking for you.”

“Shit,” Kise downed the rest of his juice and threw a bill on the counter.  “It was nice meeting you, Oikawa-san,” he said and turned to leave, but it was too late.

“You ran off again, you moron,” Kasamatsu was standing in the doorway, thick brows drawn down in anger.

“Ah, Senpai, I was just getting something to-”

“Can it, Kise,” the shorter man marched forward and grabbed the pilot by the back of his collar.  “This may be _your_ last flight of the day, but I still have one more after this one.”  He had only dragged Kise a few steps before another man appeared in the doorway, blocking their exit.

“Shittykawa, where the Hell have you been?!” the other man stepped forward, his dark, spikey hair silhouetted by the morning light coming through the window behind him.  “I leave you alone for less than an hour and you disappear,” he roared, stomping forward.

“Oh, Iwa-chan, you see, it’s a funny story, I-”

“Shut yer yap,” he growled and grabbed the taller man’s ear, pulling him down.  “Our flight leaves in less than ten minutes, _Captain_ ,” he derided.  But, as if he could sense everyone staring at him, Iwaizumi let go of his childhood friend’s ear and turned toward the others.  “Please excuse my rudeness,” he bowed low and then stood back up.  “I just had to get this irresponsible clod before he delays another flight.”

“I know the feeling,” Kasamatsu commiserated, releasing Kise from his grip.  “Pretty boy here is too used to overseas layovers,” he jacked a thumb over his shoulder.  While the two men continued talking, Kise and Oikawa side-eyed each other.

“Do you get the feeling like…” the blond began.

“We’re seeing double?” Oikawa finished for him.

“Anyway,” Kisumi cleared his throat and the other four turned toward the flight attendant.  “Our flight is boarding, so…”

“Right,” Kasamatsu grabbed Kise again and started dragging him out of the bar.  “I’m sure I’ll see you around,” he waved at the other dark-haired man.

“Good luck,” Iwaizumi waved back, waiting long enough for Oikawa to settle his tab before he pulled the taller man out the door.

Kisumi stood there, blinking as he stared at the empty doorway.  He heaved a sigh.

“Must be nice…” he whispered dreamily.

“Oi,” Kasamatsu stuck his head back in, “Are you coming, Shigino-kun?” he asked.

“Ah, yes!” the pink-haired man followed after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Sounds like a line of anti-aging creams." I cracked myself up.
> 
> I do wish I could have written more about Kisumi here, but he'll be in the next chapter, I'm sure.
> 
> I'm very excited for the next chapter. Please look forward to it.


	4. Pick-up Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rin and Aomine get sent on a call. Kagami is the reason behind it. He and Makoto attempt to bond. And both Haru and Kuroko get off work early.
> 
> Characters:  
> Free!: Rin, Makoto, Haru, Kisumi  
> KnB: Aomine, Kagami, Kuroko, Kise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one just wasn't ending enough, haha.  
> It was hard writing the scene with everyone on the court, but I pushed through!  
> I hope anyone finds this funny. This chapter is another Free!/KnB one. I promise I'll get to adding the other anime characters soon!

“Dude, can you believe that guy tried to rob the convenience store by shoving frozen hotdogs in his pants?” Rin laughed raucously from behind the wheel of the patrol car.  “I mean, seriously, what goes through your head, right?” he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

“I think he knew what he was doing,” Aomine shook his head.  “Hey, speaking of,” he turned toward his temporary partner, “pulling all those franks out of that guy’s pants didn’t make you miss your boyfriend too much, did it?” he teased.

“Shut up, assface,” the redhead glared at him and shoved his shoulder.

The two got along quite well.  After Aomine’s initial tour of the area, complete with the two less-than-sneakily trying to one-up each other, they realized that they had a lot more in common than they originally thought.

“Hey, thanks again for swinging by the airport,” the dark-haired man said as they pulled up to arrivals.

“No big,” Rin put the car in park before leaning his seat back and pillowing his head with his crossed arms.  “Besides, I know how eager you are to see your _schnookums_ ,” he stuck his tongue out.

Of course Aomine missed Kise.  Even though the two regularly spent days apart at a time, this stretch had gone particularly long.  Then again, Rin wouldn’t be able to see Sousuke for another week or so, so Aomine really had to room to complain.

Even though Rin had cried when he dropped the tall brunet off at the airport a few days ago, the redhead had seemed perfectly fine since.  But, after years of Kise forcing him to read between the lines and ‘get a clue,’ Aomine could sense the tension in Rin’s jaw.  He didn’t want to rub his boyfriend’s arrival in his partner’s face.

“So, what’s he like?” Rin broke the silence.  Aomine, who had been lost in thought, turned and blinked in confusion.  “Your boyfriend?” the redhead offered, raising an eyebrow.

Now, because ‘Hot as Hell with an ass that won’t quit’ didn’t seem like an appropriate answer, Aomine went with the following:

“Well, you already know he’s a pilot,” the taller man said and Rin nodded.  “But he used to model, so he can act a bit spoiled from time to time,” he went on.  “We used to play basketball together,” he chuckled, “actually, that’s how we met.”

“Oh yeah?” Rin started to laugh, too, even though he wasn’t in on the joke.

“Yeah,” Aomine answered.  “I accidentally hit him in the head with the ball.”

“Wow,” crimson eyes blinked up at him.  “And that’s how you won his heart?” he smirked.

“Nah, that was back in middle school,” the tanned man shook his head.  “We went to different high schools, but ended up seeing a lot of each other,” he explained.  “After graduation, I asked him to move in with me.”  Aomine wasn’t sure what kind of face he was making, but whatever it was, it prompted Rin to ask,

“You love him, huh?” the redhead was smiling.  Not a teasing smile, but a genuine one.

“Yeah, I do,” Aomine sighed and then ruffled his partner’s hair, messing up the already sloppy ponytail.  “Damn, we sound like a couple of chicks,” he shouted, rubbing harder.

“Knock it off, asshole,” Rin growled, but he was laughing.  “There’s only one guy I let pull my hair,” and looked up at him through thick eyelashes, “and he’s in Tokyo.”  Aomine released his partner’s hair and sat back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest.

“You’re in love, too,” he said matter-of-factly.

“You better believe it,” the redhead flashed a toothy grin.  “Took me years to whittle away at that moron’s self-restraint,” he snorted, “The idiot actually thought he was doing me a favor by keeping his feelings to himself.”

Aomine didn’t want to admit that he’d done the same with Kise.

“Anyway, after living together our last year of high school, we decided we liked the arrangement,” Rin leaned his elbow on the door and rested his cheek in his hand.  “We rented the spare bedroom in my friend’s house and, that night, I finally broke him.”

“Broke him, huh?” Aomine raised his brows.

“Yeah, him and the bedframe,” Rin laughed.  “Haru was seriously pissed and demanded that we buy him a replacement,” he laughed.  “The damn thing was older than the house,” he rolled his eyes.  “Anyway, Haru set a very strict noise ordinance after that, so we only really get to do it on our days off when our landlord is working at the café.”  He paused.  “Or when he stays over at his hot fireman boyfriend’s apartment.”

“You two are shameless,” the taller man mirrored his partner, elbow resting on the passenger side door.

“That’s really something coming from you, Mr. Mile High Club,” Rin snickered and then looked at his watch.  “What time does his flight arrive again?”  Aomine pulled out his phone and checked the most recent text from his boyfriend.

“It was supposed to land fifteen minutes ago,” he frowned.

“Well, don’t worry,” the redhead punched him lightly on the shoulder.  “I’m sure it’s just been delayed.”  Aomine nodded and slipped his phone back into his pocket.  He never really talked too much about it with Kise, but he was always anxious for the blond to come home.  Not just because he missed him, but because of how dangerous his boyfriend’s job was.  Sure, plane crashes weren’t nearly as common as cops getting injured in the line of duty, but he still worried.  Not that he’d ever admit that.  In fact, usually when the blond came home, they didn’t talk much at all, or rather, they let their actions speak for themselves.

‘Shark and City Boy, you there?’ Captain Mikoshiba’s voice came over the radio.

“Shark?” Rin raised an eyebrow as he pulled the receiver close to his mouth.

‘Yeah, I thought I’d start giving everyone cool nicknames,’ the older man laughed, but then grew serious.  ‘We’ve gotten a call about a disturbance out by the park,’ he said.  ‘I need you two to go check it out.’

Rin’s eyes slid over to Aomine, who nodded.

“We’ll be there in fifteen,” the redhead answered and put the car in gear.  “Sorry, Aomine,” the shorter man apologized.

“It’s fine,” he replied.  “Work comes first,” he took out his cell again.  “Kise understands that.”  He sent a quick text and pocketed the phone.  “Let’s go.”

*~*

Kagami stood there holding the basketball hoop in his hand.

He should have taken notice of the cracks in the paint on the backboard and the rust tear tracks staining a path down from the bolts which, after his attempt at impressing Makoto with his gravity-defying across-the-court dunk, crumbled into dust, causing the hoop to break off in his hand and the backboard to split in two.

So now, here he was:  standing there with wide eyes, staring at the bent, rusted metal hoop in his hand.  He swallowed thickly and turned to see a horrified group of older women out for their midmorning powerwalk.  He held his other hand up to wave weakly at them and they scattered.

“I guess we’re doing playing for a day,” Kagami frowned.  “Sorry, Tachibana.”

“It’s fine, Kagami-kun,” the sandy-haired fireman gave his usual smile.

It was their day off and they had decided to get together to shoot some hoops.  It had been ages since Makoto had played and Kagami hadn’t had a chance to do so much as dribble since he and Kuroko had moved to Iwatobi from Tokyo.

“We can always just use half the court,” Makoto pointed to the hoop on the other side.

“That’s true,” Kagami said and, after taking one last look at the rusted metal ring, he tossed it to the side.  “Wanna play H-O-R-S-E?” he asked.

“I don’t think I’m familiar with that one,” the sandy-haired man picked up and the ball and cocked his head to the side.  Kagami held his hands out toward him and Makoto passed him the ball.

“It’s easy,” the redhead explained.  “One of us takes a shot,” he turned and tossed the ball up.  It went through the hoop with a resounding ‘swoosh.’  “And the other has to copy the move and make the basket.”

“Sounds easy enough,” but Makoto scratched his head.  “What’s it got to do with horses?”

“Ah,” Kagami jogged over and grabbed the downed ball.  “If you miss the shot, you get a letter,” he spelled it out.  “First one to spell ‘horse’ loses.”

“Okay,” he held his hands up and caught Kagami’s pass.  “Since you’ve played more recently than me,” Makoto chuckled, “I’ll go first.”

But just as Makoto was about to take a shot, he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat.  They turned to see who had joined them on the court.

“Haru!” the sandy-haired man’s face split into a huge grin.  “I thought you had to work until noon,” he walked over smiled down at the dark-haired chef.

“They let me leave early,” Haru answered and handed Makoto a white paper bag.  “Snacks,” he said and, although he remained stoic, Kagami could have sworn he saw the shorter man give a small smile while Makoto excitedly opened the bag.

“Pork buns!” Makoto cheered.  “Thank you, Haru!”  He turned to look over his shoulder at Kagami.  “I hope you like teriyaki,” he offered.

“I hope you’ve got enough,” Kagami countered with a laugh.  The taller man had just walked over to join them when they were interrupted once again.  This time it was a police cruiser slowly pulling up to the court and giving its siren a quick pulse to get their attention.

The policemen stepped out of the car and meandered over to them.  Their peaked caps were pulled down low over their eyes, so it was hard to tell what kind of expression they were wearing.  The shorter of the two raised his hand and flicked the bill of his cap, popping it up.

“What seems to be the problem he-” the cop began and then blinked in confusion.  “Makoto? Haru?” Rin furrowed his brow.  “I seriously hope you’re not the reason we’re here.”

“Haru?” his partner turned toward him, lifting the brim of his own hat.  “You mean your landlord?”

“Yeah,” the redhead answered.  Aomine looked back and frowned as he recognized the third man on the court.

“Bakagami?” Aomine raised an eyebrow.  “Tetsu said you guys moved out here, but I didn’t expect to run into you,” he looked over to Haru and then something Rin had mentioned earlier popped back into his head.  “Wait a minute,” he turned toward Rin.  “When you mentioned your landlord’s hot fireman boyfriend,” he paused, “you didn’t mean him did you?”  He pointed at Kagami.

Rin started to answer, but Aomine ignored him, marching over toward Kagami.

“If you’re cheating on Tetsu, I swear, I’m going to-” but Kagami walked right past him, wide eyes darting between Rin and the police car.

“ _I’m terribly sorry, officer_ ,” Kagami started speaking English.  “ _But, we were doing nothing wrong,”_ he continued his speech with practiced perfection, like he’d had to say it quite often at some point in his life.  “ _I know my rights and_ -”

“ _Whoa whoa_ ,” Rin replied, easily slipping into English.  “ _We’re not here to arrest you, mate_ ,” he held his hands up in front of him.

“You’re not?” the taller redhead blinked.

“Oh, so you speak Japanese,” Rin lifted his brows.

“Rin,” Makoto stepped forward, “What’s this all about?”

“Right,” he put his hands on his hips.  “We’re here because we received a complaint regarding a disturbance in the area.”  Crimson eyes scanned the court.

“There’s our problem,” Aomine pointed up at the broken basket.  “Bakagami over here probably broke the damn thing and scared some of the locals,” he rolled his eyes.

“Hey, don’t act like you’ve never broken a hoop off before, Ahomine,” Kagami glared at him.

“Anyway, more important than that,” the tanned man fisted the front of Kagami’s shirt.  “What the Hell do you think you’re doing, cheating on Tetsu?”

“What are you talking about?” split eye brows drew down in confusion.

“Yes,” a soft voice came from their side.  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

All five men turned to see a shorter man approaching, holding a leash in one hand.  The dog beside him barked happily and started pulling toward Kagami.

“Kuroko!” Kagami gasped and then smiled.  “Didn’t you have to be at the school all day?”

“Early release,” Kuroko explained.  “What’s this about you cheating?”

“No, no,” the redhead pulled away from Aomine’s grip.  “It’s all just a simple misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding, my ass,” Aomine growled.  “Testu,” he turned to his old friend, “this bastard is two-timing you with this guy,” he pointed at Haru.

“Haru?” Makoto’s eyes went wide and he blinked down at his boyfriend.  “Tell him he’s mistaken.”

“Aomine, you’ve got it wrong,” Rin threw his head back with a laugh.

“But you said your landlord was staying over with his hot fireman boyfriend, right?” the tanned man quirked an eyebrow.  “Not that I’d consider Bakagami hot, but I know what he does for a living.”

“Ahomine, you ass,” Kagami rolled his eyes.  “He was talking about Tachibana,” he jacked a thumb over his shoulder and pointed at the sandy-haired man.  “He’s a fireman, too.”

“Oh,” Aomine scratched the back of his head.  “Sorry, Testu.”

“Why are you apologizing to him?!” the redheaded fireman hissed.

“You’re forgiven, Aomine-kun,” Kuroko replied.  Kagami opened his mouth to retort, but the shorter man continued.  “Forgive us for not inviting you over to welcome you,” he pet Nigou’s head and the dog licked his hand.  “We’ve been pretty busy.”

“Okay, hold on a second,” Rin held a hand up and pinched the bridge of his nose with the other.  “So, you know him,” he pointed from Aomine and Kagami.  “And he knows Makoto and Haru,” he lowered his hands and turned toward Kuroko.  “Sorry, who are you exactly?”

“Kagami-kun’s boyfriend,” he answered simply.

“All right,” Rin took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair.  “So, the only problem here, other than some trust issues,” he looked over to the side and then back, “is the broken hoop, right?”  The other men nodded.  “Okay, let me call the chief,” he nodded to Aomine and walked back to the cruiser.

“Well,” Makoto cleared his throat and walked over to Kuroko.  “Nice to see you again, Kuroko-kun,” he offered his trademark smile and bent down to pet Nigou.  The malamute barked happily and rolled onto his back for tummy rubs.  “Who’s a good boy?” the sandy-haired man cooed.

“Sorry ‘bout that, Testu,” Aomine joined them.

“I already said it was fine,” Kuroko looked up at him with large eyes.

“So,” Makoto stood up and brushed the dog fur off of his hands.  “You’re a friend of Kagami-kun’s?” he asked Aomine.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” the tanned man chuckled.

“Shut yer face,” Kagami barked before walking over to them.  “Tachibana, this is Aomine Daiki, an acquaintance of ours from Tokyo,” he introduced him.

“Nice to meet you, Aomine-kun,” Makoto offered his hand for a shake and Aomine took it.  “I’m Tachibana Makoto, I work at the fire station with Kagami-kun and this,” he gestured to Haru, who had made his way over with the bag of pork buns, “is my childhood friend, Nanase Haruka.”

“Haruka?” Aomine began, but Kagami cut him off.

“I wouldn’t.”

“Anyway,” Makoto chuckled.  “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, you, too,” Aomine gave a lopsided grin.  He hadn’t really had a chance to make any friends since he was forcibly relocated to Iwatobi.  Of course, he was only going to be there for a month.  But a month without Kise was pretty lonely.  “So, you guys were playing street ball?” he asked.

“We were trying,” the sandy-haired man scratched his head.

“Until someone called the cops,” Kagami grumbled to no one in particular.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko caught his attention.  “Did you break the hoop off again?”  Kagami mumbled something and blushed bright red while Makoto and Aomine laughed.

“All right, got that settled,” Rin said as he walked back from the police car.  “Told the chief it was a simple misunderstanding,” he added.  “So, what’s going on?”

“An attempt at street ball,” Makoto said.  “You remember the new guy from the fire department, Kagami-kun, right?”  Rin nodded.

“Oh yeah, and now I know his boyfriend,” he flashed sharp teeth at Kuroko.  “Nice to meetcha.”

“Okay, so everyone knows each other,” Aomine rolled his eyes.  “Let’s get back to the station to fill out the paperwork for this non-crime.”

“What’s your hurry?” Kagami asked.  “Afraid if you stay any longer, I’ll challenge you to one-on-one?” he smirked.

“Not like you’d win,” the blue-haired man took the bait.

“He’s just in a rush because his boyfriend is almost here,” Rin teased.

“Kise-kun?” Kuroko asked.  “Kise-kun is coming here?”

“Yeah, but I already missed picking him up,” Aomine had taken off his hat and was rolling up his sleeves.  “Matsuoka, I have time for a quick game, right?”

“Right now?” the redheaded cop raised an eyebrow.  “It’s not like we have anywhere to be, but-”

It was too late.  Aomine and Kagami were already playing half court.  Kuroko and Makoto sat down on the bench to watch and Rin sidled over to Haru.

“Wow,” he put his hands on his hips.  “I think they might be more competitive than we are,” he mused.

“So,” Haru began without looking over at him, “you think Makoto is ‘hot’?”

*~*

Kise was finally allowed to leave. 

Normally, he could leave after the passengers had all filed out of the plane, but his replacement was running late and, if the other pilot didn’t show up, he was sure he’d have been guilted into flying back to Tokyo with Kasamatsu.

Thankfully, the other captain made it and he was free to go.

But by the time he was released, the plane had been cleaned and the one flight attendant who was done for the day was already walking through the airport.

“Oh, Shigino-kun, was it?” Kise walked over to the pink-haired man and smiled.

“Yes, Kise-san,” Kisumi stopped walking and waited for him.

“I never gave you that autograph, did I?” the blond cocked his head to the side.

“No, uh, but I didn’t want to ask again,” the other man laughed awkwardly.

“Well, I’m glad I caught you,” Kise reached for a pen.  “I think I’ve got a napkin in my pocket,” he began, but Kisumi was already pulling out a magazine with the blond’s face on the cover.

“I sort of looked ahead on the schedule and saw your name for today’s flight,” the pink-haired man blushed.  “I’m a big fan,” he explained.  Kise smiled and signed his name.  He’d met much crazier fans than this guy.

“Well, good job today, Shigino-kun,” Kise tipped his hat and reached for his cell.  They continued walking together and were almost to the exit when the blond stopped and frowned at his phone.

“Is something wrong, Kise-san?” Kisumi asked.

“My ride isn’t going to be able to pick me up,” he sighed.  “Looks like he got called out on a job.”

“Where are you headed?” the other man questioned.

“Oh, lemme just,” Kise pulled the address up on his phone.  “Are you from around here?” he asked and Kisumi nodded before glancing at the screen.

“I know where that is,” Kisumi exclaimed.  “If you down mind riding in back, I can give you a lift there on my scooter.”

“That’d be great, thank you!” Kise pocketed his phone.

“Awesome, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stopping there for now. We'll come back to what I'm affectionately calling "FrnB" later. (Since all the characters are either from Free! or KnB)
> 
> I've already started Ch 5 and it's angsty (what? I know!) Finally adding YowaPeda characters, too. Ganbare!
> 
> *Bakagami and Ahomine are fan nicknames that the characters use for each other. The first is "Baka" (Idiot) mixed with Kagami. The second is "Aho" (Moron) mixed with Aomine.


	5. Jikei University Hospital - Sousuke/MidoTaka/ImaNaru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke is in Tokyo recovering from his surgery. Midorima his subbing in for his regular doctor and Takao is a paramedic in the ER. Naruko has to rush his boyfriend to the hospital.
> 
> Characters:  
> Free!: Sousuke, Rin (mentioned)  
> KnB: Midorima, Takao  
> YowaPeda: Naruko, Imaizumi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double chapter post tonight!!  
> So, after Ch 4, which was all slapstick all the time...here's an angsty story full of feels!!  
> Writing Sousuke just breeds angst...I'm sorry ^^; (well, angst by my fluffy standards)  
> Finally, Yowapeda characters in this chappie~  
> Thanks to indevan for being my beta on this one!

Sousuke had been through enough physical therapy in his life.

Since injuring himself in high school, he’d been in and out of more doctors’ offices and specialists’ clinics than he could count.  But this place, the Jikei University School of Medicine, had offered him another option:  an alternative surgery that had a quicker recovery time and a higher success rate.  When his doctor had told him about it, he’d very nearly left the same day.

Of course, he also had to break the news to his boyfriend.  It wasn’t like Rin didn’t want him to get better.  It was more like the redhead was scared.  Afraid that the surgery might not go well or that, after years of physical therapy and doing things the ‘right way,’ Sousuke would be set even further back.

Sousuke knew he was never going to swim competitively again.  He’d accepted that years ago.  But he wanted to swim with Rin again.  He was the reason Rin had quit, after all.  Well, maybe ‘quit’ wasn’t the right way to put it. 

The summer of their third year of high school, Rin was offered a position on the Australian Olympic Team.  But he turned it down.

Sousuke didn’t know anything about it at the time.  It wasn’t until Rin had shown up at the Police Academy that he’d learned about what had happened.  He’d wanted to hit him, to shake him and tell him that he’d made a mistake.  But Rin had just smiled at him and said, ‘This is our new dream.’

That damn romantic.

So here he was, nearly a week after the surgery, waiting for his doctor in the physical therapy room.  He’d been given some bands to use in his room to steadily build up his strength, but he still had to come by the physio room once a day to meet with his doctor.

He was staring at a poster on the wall of a cat hanging from a tree limb with a motivational message written across the bottom when the door opened.  He looked away and turned to greet his doctor, but he was surprised to see a man around his age, maybe younger, with green hair and glasses.

“Yamazaki-kun?” the bespectacled man read off of the clipboard.

“That’s me,” Sousuke lifted a hand to wave.

“My name is Dr. Midorima,” he explained.  “Dr. Ishida is out for personal reasons today, so I’ll be taking care of your daily PT evaluation,” he went on.  “How are you feeling?”

“Feeling great, Midorima-sensei,” Sousuke rotated his shoulder and smiled.  “Aren’t you a little young to be a doctor?” he asked and watched as the green-haired man stiffened for a moment.  “Sorry,” the brunet added, “you must get that a lot.”

“Yes,” Midorima answered.  “I was placed in an accelerated program and finished early,” he raised a hand to adjust his glasses.  “I’m still a resident, but they give me a bit more freedom.”

“Ah,” Sousuke nodded.

“Shall we begin?” the doctor asked and Sousuke nodded.  They went through the usual tests.  ‘Let me see the incision.  Does this hurt?  Does that hurt?  Can you lift this?’ etc.  He was used to it by now.  They were wrapping up the evaluation when he heard a knock on the door.  Sousuke was reaching for his shirt when the door opened and a man who looked no older than Midorima walked in.

“Takao, what are you doing here?” the doctor asked, obviously annoyed.

“So cold, Shin-chan!” the dark-haired man, Takao, replied.  “And after I came all the way to see you.”

“Shouldn’t you be out on calls?” Midorima raised an eyebrow.

“Nope,” Takao beamed.  “I picked up an ER shift today.”

Sousuke watched the two of them interact and wondered if perhaps there was something going on between them.

“And you’re shirking your responsibilities, are you?” the green-haired man frowned at Takao.

“I’ll have you know I’m on my lunch break,” the dark-haired man pouted.  “Besides,” his expression changed as he looked up at the taller man through the part in his bangs, “Can’t I come and pay my darling boyfriend a visit?”

“Takao, I’m with a patient,” Midorima scowled.

“Oh, right, sorry,” Takao looked over at Sousuke and then bit his lip, eyeing the brunet’s naked chest.  “Mmm…” he said and then shook his head.  “Takao Kazunari,” he introduced himself.  “I’m a paramedic with the hospital.”

“Nice to meet you,” Sousuke pulled his shirt over his head.

“So, did you come by simply to annoy me and ogle my patient, or-”

“Shin-chan, so mean!” Takao’s face returned to its earlier pout.  “I was on lunch and I wanted to see you,” he stuck out his lower lip.  “So I went to the nurses’ station and they told me which room you were in.”

“If I’d known you were here, I would have asked them not to tell you,” Midorima rubbed his temples.

“You’re so grouchy today, Shin-chan,” Takao put his hands behind his back and rolled back on his heels.  “Besides, even if you’d told them not to tell, I’m sure Kiko-chan would have spilled the beans,” he nearly giggled.  “She’s got a thing for me, you see.”

“So, are we all done here?” Sousuke asked, clearing his throat.  It was a little awkward watching this lovers’ spat.

“Please excuse my rudeness, Yamazaki-kun,” Midorima bowed.  “You’re all done for today,” he side-eyed Takao before continuing, “I’ll escort you back to your room.”

“Ooh, then you should walk me back to the ER before my break is over,” Takao suggested.  “It’s on the way!” he argued before the green-haired man had a chance to respond.

“You don’t even know what room he’s in,” the taller man shook his head.

“It’s fine,” Sousuke said.  “I’d like to get out and walk a bit anyway,” he rubbed the back of his neck.  “It gets pretty stuffy in that room.”

“See, even Yamazaki agrees,” the shorter man wrapped his arms around one of the doctor’s and pulled.  “Let’s go, let’s go,” he urged.  Sousuke found himself smiling.  Takao reminded him of someone.

The three were nearly to the emergency room when they saw a group of medical staff rushing by with a man on a stretcher. Takao dropped his carefree attitude and moved to walk alongside them.

“Do you need me to clock back in early?” he asked, but one of the other paramedics shook his head.

“We’ve got ‘im,” the other man answered and Takao stopped as they rushed the patient through the double doors.  The doors closed and the electronic lock bolted.  He shrugged his shoulders and made his way back to Midorima and Sousuke.

“Guess I’ve still got a couple of minutes,” Takao began.  He opened his mouth to say something to Midorima, but he was interrupted by someone screaming at the check-in desk.

“No, you don’t understand!” the young man was shouting.  “I was in the ambulance with him,” he ran a hand through his hair, which, Sousuke noted, had sticks and a few leaves sticking out of it.  “I was busy answering some questions and they took him back without me,” he went on.  “I have to be with him!”

“I’m sorry, sir, but no one can go back there while he’s in surgery,” the nurse tried to reason with him, but he was getting hysterical.

“Please, I need to know that he’s okay!” he slammed his fist on the desk.  The nurse looked a little unsure of what else to say, but Takao was already walking over to her rescue.

“I’m sorry, sir, but those are,” he paused, taking in the short man’s form.  “Naruko?”  The redhead turned to look up at him, crimson eyes wet with tears, mud and dried blood caked on his face, arms and legs.

“Boy Band Hair!” he tossed out the nickname.  “Please, you’ve got to let me back there,” he pleaded.  “Imaizumi, he…he…”

“Calm down,” Takao placed a hand on his shoulder.  “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” he reasoned.  “I’ve just got some scratches, but Hotshot, he’s…”

“Listen, I know you’re worried, but right now you can’t be back there with him,” Takao explained.  “I know it’s frustrating, believe me,” he went on.  “But it’s safer for him and the doctors if you’re not back there.”  He pulled a leaf out of the shorter man’s hair.  “Why don’t we get you cleaned up and you can tell us all about it, okay?”  Naruko looked down and nodded.

“Takao knows him?” Sousuke asked Midorima as they watched the paramedic lead the redhead to an extra room next to triage.

“Yes, Naruko-kun spent a lot of time hanging around while his friend was recovering from a severe knee injury,” Midorima explained. “Ishida-sensei was his doctor, but I was there for most of Imaizumi-kun’s physical therapy.”  He frowned.  “He was just released from the hospital yesterday,” he looked at Sousuke.  “I can’t help, but wonder what happened.”

*~*

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Takao asked, handing Naruko a cup of coffee, which the redhead readily accepted.  They were sitting in the empty waiting area of the emergency room.  Midorima had left, needing to continue his rounds, but Sousuke stayed behind.

Maybe it was the younger man’s red hair and eyes, or the small fang that stuck out of his mouth, or perhaps it was the fact that he was crying, but Sousuke felt like he needed to be there for him.

“So, what happened?” the paramedic asked, taking a seat beside Naruko.

“You know how Imaizumi got injured in our race three weeks ago?” he asked and Takao nodded.  “Well, he just got released from the hospital yesterday.”

“Right, I think I remember Shin-chan mentioning something about it,” the other man said.

“We’re about an hour from home and we were both wiped, so we decided to stay at a hotel last night,” Naruko explained.  “Plus, ya know, celebrate his recovery and all,” he blushed.  “Anyway, when I got out of the shower this morning, I saw a note on the dresser saying that he’d gone out for a walk,” he paused to take a sip of his coffee.  “Light walks are part of his therapy, so I didn’t think much of it.”

“Let me guess,” Takao sighed.  “He wasn’t out on a walk?”  Naruko nodded.  Sousuke remained silent.  He didn’t really know either of them, but he couldn’t leave.  He finally sat down on Naruko’s other side, leaving a seat between them.

“Two hours went by and I hadn’t heard from him,” the redhead shook his head.  “Hotshot’s only gone that long if he’s going for a ride,” he ran a hand through his hair.  “I couldn’t get through to him on his cell, so I called the only place that might have an answer for me,” he swallowed.  “I called the storage place and the manager confirmed that Imaizumi had stopped by and grabbed his bike a couple hours earlier.”

“What was he thinking?” Takao was shocked.  “I’m no physical therapist, but I know you can’t go out riding so soon after having surgery for a torn meniscus.”

“He was so pissed about losing the race and injuring himself,” Naruko stared into his coffee cup.  “I shouldn’t have left him alone for a minute,” he sighed.  “I should have known he would do something like this.”

“There’s no way you could have known,” Takao rubbed Naruko’s back.  “Don’t blame yourself.”

This story was starting to hit pretty close to home for Sousuke, but he remained quiet, closing his eyes and listening to the little redhead’s story.

“As soon as I figured out what he’d done, I ran over to the storage unit and got my bike so I could go look for him,” he went on.  “I’m not familiar with the area, so I wasn’t sure where he’d go,” he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.  “Finally, I spotted a bike path and prayed that it was the one he’d taken.

“I rode about fifteen kilometers when I spotted his bike on its side next to the guardrail.  I threw my bike down and ran over.  Thankfully, he hadn’t fallen too far, but his helmet had cracked against a tree and he was unconscious,” Naruko held back a sob.  “I never once thought that I’d be able to lift him, but I somehow managed to carry him to a convenience store down the road to wait on the ambulance.”

“You did the right thing,” Sousuke finally spoke.  Naruko and Takao turned toward him with wide eyes, having forgotten he was there.  “You were very brave.”

“Th-Thank you,” the redhead blinked.

“Yamazaki’s right,” Takao joined in.  “You got him here and now he’s under the care of the best doctors in Tokyo,” he smiled.  “Ya know, again,” he added and Naruko snorted a laugh.

A few minutes later, Naruko was paged to the sign-in desk.

“Imaizumi-san is out of surgery and has been moved to a private room,” the nurse explained.  “If you’ll hand me your ID, I’d be happy to get you a visitors pass.”  Naruko nodded and grabbed his wallet.

“Do you want us to come with you?” Takao asked.

“I think I’ll be alright,” the redhead said.  “Besides, you’ve got to get back to work,” he eyed the paramedic.  “Don’t think I didn’t notice you slacking,” he laughed and then added, “Thanks, Boy Band Hair.”

“Any time, Red Beans and Rice,” Takao attempted a nickname.

“Don’t call me that!” but Naruko was laughing.

“All right, I’m going back to work, but Yamazaki is going with you,” the paramedic said firmly.  “He’s got to get back to his own room anyway.”  Naruko looked up at Sousuke and the taller man nodded.  “I’ll see you two around,” Takao waved and disappeared around the corner.

“Thanks for walking me to his room, Mountain Man,” Naruko said as they walked down the long hallway to Imaizumi’s room.  Sousuke had never heard that one before, but he kept silent.  It seemed like the little redhead was a nicknamer and he wasn’t about to complain when the shorter man was already upset.

“No problem,” Sousuke stuffed his hands in his pockets.  They had just arrived at the room, when the door opened.

“You’re very lucky, Imaizumi-kun.”  It was the doctor.  “It’s not another tear,” he went on.  “You just sprained the other knee,” he said.  “Probably overcompensating for your injury.”  He turned and saw Sousuke and Naruko standing outside.  “Anyway, your scans came back negative for a concussion, so please take care of yourself and mind the stitches,” he said to Imaizumi and then addressed them.  “He’s a little grouchy, but the nurse just gave him some pain killers,” the doctor winked and walked over to the next room.

“See, he’s alright,” Sousuke said and gave Naruko and little push into the room.  The redhead left the door open and Sousuke stayed just outside for support.  He wasn’t in a hurry to get back to his room anyway.

“Shoukichi?” a tall, dark-haired man said from the bed.  “What are you doing here?”

“You stupid asshole!” Naruko shouted, surprising both the man in the bed and Sousuke.  “What the Hell were you thinking?” he roared.  “You _just_ got out of the hospital and you were in such a hurry to get back in?”

“Shou-”

“Shut up!” he walked closer to the bed and dropped to his knees, balling his hands into fists and burying his face in the white sheets.  “I thought I’d lost you,” he murmured.  Imaizumi reached down to stroke his hair and pulled out a leaf that Takao had somehow missed.

“They told me I crashed my bike and was thrown off the road,” he twirled the leaf between his index finger and thumb.  “They said I’d cracked my helmet in half on a tree,” he set the leaf down and returned to petting Naruko’s head.  “You were there, huh?”

“Who do you think found you?” the redhead sobbed into the mattress.

“Shoukichi, look at me,” Imaizumi begged.

“No!” Naruko said stubbornly.  “Not until you promise you’ll never do something stupid like this again,” he added.  When Imaizumi didn’t say anything, Naruko looked up at him.  The dark-haired man was staring down at his knee, covered by the crisp, white hospital sheets, his lips pulled in a thin line. “Well?” Naruko proded.

“They said I couldn’t ride for a month,” Imaizumi said.  “I’d gone through two weeks of physical therapy and they were telling me that I still had to wait,” he took a deep breath.  “If I didn’t get out there, I thought I was going to go crazy.”

“So you thought you’d just risk it all and end up never being able to ride again?!” Naruko stood back up and crossed his arms over his chest.

“What the Hell do you know?” Imaizumi snapped.  “You don’t know what it’s like,” he gripped the sheets, knuckles white.  “Riding is like breathing to me,” he explained.  “I can’t live without it.”

“And I can’t live without you,” the redhead was crying again.  “You almost died today, do you understand that?”  Tears were flowing down his cheeks.  “If I hadn’t found you…”

Sousuke should have walked away the moment Naruko had started yelling, but he hadn’t.  And now the shorter man was crying.  Poor kid.  And that Imaizumi just wasn’t getting it.  With a heavy sigh, Sousuke walked into the room.

“Listen, I may just be an outsider, but I do understand your situation,” he said and both men turned toward him.

“Who are you?” Imaizumi asked, blinking up at him.

“An idiot like you,” Sousuke answered.  “I hurt myself in high school, but I ignored it,” he said.  “My doctors told me later that if I’d just taken a break to give my shoulder the time it needed to heal, I could have fully recovered.

“But I stubbornly pushed on, afraid of falling behind my teammates and now I’ll never swim competitively again.”  Understanding dawned on Imaizumi’s face.  “I screwed up and, even after this surgery I just had, I can never get back my scholarship or my chance to go to the Olympics.

“My advice to you is to suck it up and deal,” he said harshly.  “Cuz no race is worth never riding again.” 

After dropping a bomb like that, Sousuke had no choice, but to walk away and give them a chance to talk it out.  Maybe he’d overstepped his boundaries, but he’d needed to do that.  Not just for the selfish man in that hospital bed, but for himself.

As soon as he got home, he was going to grab Rin and hold him until the younger man understood just how much he meant to him and even after that, he wasn’t going to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Sousuke. Poor Little Bean. Poor everyone. Haha.  
> I hope you guys enjoyed this!  
> Also, I'm glad the chapter with Iwaizumi wasn't right before this chapter with Imaizumi. Their names are so similar, I didn't want to confuse anyone.
> 
> The nicknames:  
> "Hotshot" for Imaizumi - Naruko's canon nickname for him.  
> "Boy Band Hair" for Takao cuz...c'mon, look at him.  
> "Mountain Man" for Sousuke because the "Yama" in "Yamazaki" means "Mountain" - also, he's tall.


End file.
